Last
week, US President Barack Obama visited upstate New York’s Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in an
effort to highlight
some of the United States’ most-loved destinations and increase international
tourism.

“When
it comes to tourism, we have a great product to sell,” he said. “Nothing says
‘Made in America’ better than the Empire State Building or the Hoover Dam.”

According
to the Associated Press, a record 70 million international visitors
travelled to the US in 2013. But that was still only 13% of the world’s
travelers – a smaller market share than the 17% that visited the United States in
2000.

Beyond
the country’s iconic locations ­– which travellers know all too well – the US
is home to an array of charming, quirky and fascinating sights that often fly
under the radar, from the world’s longest cave system to a city sprawled with a
mosaic masterpiece. Here are some of our favourites: